99 New: Bummer

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.

—-Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Our beloved Milwaukee Brewers lost tonight 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This means the Dodgers have won the National League Pennant and are going to the World Series, playing against the Boston Red Sox. We had tickets for the World Series – our first – but that was if it was played in Milwaukee which it sort of won’t be now since we LOST.

I had to come upstairs before the end of the 9th inning (I tracked the play by play on my phone) so I didn’t have to watch the Dodgers hopping around and celebrating when they win. The Gatorade pour would have put me over the edge. When a team wins out of town, their celebrations are always excessive and grotesque, like they have to do ten times extra high-fiving and fanny patting just to rub it in. Meanwhile, the Brewers will slink off to the locker room, spitting out their huge wads of bubble gum and sunflower seeds and mumbling about next year.

Ugh. No joy in Mudville is right.